Dogs and humans may share surprisingly similar metabolic signatures linked to lifespan.
New research from the Dog Aging Project suggests that dogs and humans share some of the same biological patterns linked to lifespan. The finding could help scientists better understand how aging works in both species.
In a study recently published in The Journals of Gerontology, researchers found that metabolite patterns were tied to earlier or later death in dogs in ways that closely resemble patterns previously observed in humans. Metabolites are small chemicals and molecules produced as the body carries out normal biological processes.
“The molecules that are risky for dogs or protective against a sooner death are very similar to those in people, showing that we share important features of aging biology, which is really interesting and rewarding,” said Dr. Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer for the Dog Aging Project and a professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, where the work of the Dog Aging Project is generously supported by the WoodNext Foundation. “Our findings also highlight the value of pet dogs as a model for studying long-term health and lifespan.”
Looking for biological clues to lifespan
Because metabolites reveal activity inside cells, they can help researchers identify biological patterns connected to health outcomes.
For this study, the team examined blood samples from dogs participating in the Dog Aging Project, a community science project in which owners provide detailed survey responses and physical samples from their dogs throughout their lives. The researchers searched those blood samples for metabolic patterns connected to lifespan, with a focus on whether dogs died sooner or later.
“Death is an easy outcome to understand,” Creevy said. “It is very easy to tell when a person or a dog has died, whereas other features of aging health are a bit more nuanced.”
Starting with a clear outcome allows researchers to trace backward and look for biological processes that may shape aging, including metabolism, inflammation and the way cells respond to stress.
“If we understand why something happened, we have a greater chance of identifying ways to change it,” Creevy said.
A metabolic ‘fingerprint’
To identify those signals more clearly, researchers studied thousands of metabolites at the same time and looked for larger patterns that could help predict risk. Creevy said that analyzing groups of metabolites can offer a more complete view of what is happening inside cells.
“Some of my colleagues refer to it as a fingerprint,” Creevy said. “We often look at a pattern or grouping that has a relationship with better or worse outcomes rather than just looking at a single molecule.”
These measurable biological signs, known as biomarkers, can help researchers estimate future health outcomes by showing what is happening inside the body.
“Importantly, those biomarkers do not necessarily cause an outcome; when we find a biomarker associated with sooner or later mortality, we don’t know that it’s causing it,” Creevy said. “But if we understand why that biomarker is present, we may be able to identify what the cause of the relationship is.”
Finding these patterns gives scientists a way to explore the biology behind aging and identify possible targets for improving health as animals grow older.
Shared patterns in dogs and people
To see whether similar metabolic signals appear in humans, the researchers compared their dog findings with five large published studies of human mortality that used comparable metabolite-based methods. Across all five studies, the patterns linked to earlier or later death were similar.
That consistency across human studies was one of the most important results, supporting the idea that dogs and humans share key features of aging biology.
“Frequently, we know a little more about this in people than we do in dogs,” Creevy said. “If we have the same targets, we’ll be able to leverage human research to benefit dogs.”
This overlap means researchers can build on what is already known from human studies while using dogs to study how aging develops over time.
Dogs are especially valuable for aging research because they live closely with people and share many aspects of daily life, including environment, diet and activity. Those shared experiences can help scientists understand how lifestyle affects health over time.
“One of the things we like most about learning from dogs as it pertains to aging is their widely varied lifestyles that mirror their owners’ lifestyles in a way that’s less true for other companion animals,” Creevy said.
Cats, for example, often have more consistent and independent routines. Dogs, by contrast, tend to follow their owners’ daily habits more closely.
Dogs also age much faster than humans, which allows scientists to study lifespan and aging outcomes in less time. While people live into their 70s on average, dogs typically live only 12 to 13 years, giving researchers a shorter window in which to observe comparable aging patterns.
Made possible by the Dog Aging Project
The study was possible because of the Dog Aging Project, a nationwide study following pet dogs living with owners across the United States. Owners who participate share detailed information about their dogs’ lives, while some also provide biological samples each year, allowing researchers to study aging as it unfolds.
“The owners who enroll their dogs make everything possible,” Creevy said. “The dedication and commitment of these owners to participate in research and discovery to better the health of dogs is remarkable.”
Creevy said the results are an important step toward understanding the biology of aging because they help move the work from recognizing patterns toward investigating what may be causing them.
“This is a starting point,” she said. “We’ve identified these metabolites, and now we know where to start looking.”
For dog owners, Creevy said the practical message is straightforward: many of the same habits that support healthy aging in people are probably important for dogs as well.
“Keeping them on a healthy diet, at a healthy body weight, and preserving mobility and cognitive health — just like we would do for ourselves,” Creevy said. “What’s good for us is probably good for them.”
Reference: “Dogs and humans share biomarkers of mortality” by Benjamin R Harrison, Joshua M Akey, Noah Snyder-Mackler, Daniel Raftery, Kate E Creevy, Daniel E L Promislow and DAP Consortium, 22 December 2025, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glaf279
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